How to plan a ‘hard reset’ on your life and get your groove back

Welcome to this week’s edition of ‘The Adventure Capitalist’. Every Thursday, you’ll get a jolt of inspiration to get out there and live a bigger more adventurous life.

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Here’s what to expect this week:

• How to plan a ‘hard reset’ on your life and get your groove back

• Lessons from an eccentric billionaire who earned his fortune while adventuring all over the world

• Plus more links that will get your blood flowing

The Hard Reset (Why and How)

Four months ago, I led a mastermind ski trip to Japan that radically shifted my life. Ever since I returned, I've been on a roll. My health, focus, and drive have reached new unprecedented heights.

So, what made this trip so transformative?

During those two weeks, my routine was thrown into complete disarray.

I spent each day skiing, meandering through Tokyo and Sapporo, enjoying beers over lunch, connecting with smart and talented men, soaking my bones in an onsen, and embracing periods of intentional solitude.

In short, I did the things that make me most feel alive and gave myself plenty of time for much-needed introspection.

For me, this kind of disruption to my life is key to having breakthroughs.

I believe in order to avoid becoming a prisoner of your routine, it's critical to periodically upend it.

Every three months or so, a 'hard reset' allows you to reassess the priorities of your life. However, achieving this kind of objectivity is nearly impossible when you’re at home and are mired in your daily duties.

If you’re thinking about feeding your son, getting back to emails, and taking sales calls, you’re not going to have space for any breakthroughs.

So, what pivoted for me during this trip?

The crux of my revelation was the need to simplify my life.

Being away enabled me to identify the myriad ways I was being stretched too thin.

I saw the far-reaching effects of fatherhood and started to make necessary adjustments.

When I came home, I was able to make a few shifts that have helped me. I also recognized that I'm in a unique phase of my life, marked by specific challenges and constraints I haven’t felt before.

In this season of my life, I have big aspirations and less free time.

I'm launching a new business, constructing a home, raising a one-year-old, striving to be an exemplary husband and friend, and training to be strong and healthy.

It's a lot. Before my departure, the weight of these responsibilities was nearly overwhelming.

I firmly believe you can achieve anything you desire, but not everything at once. And boy had I bitten off a lot.

To fulfill these aspirations, I had to relinquish certain habits.

Casual weekday alcohol use was the first to go. I had often found myself mindlessly ordering a drink at a restaurant, only to have my sleep disrupted and then wake up feeling off the next day.

Children, of course, rise and shine, ready for the day, irrespective of whether on not Daddy pulled the trigger on a second (or third) Negroni the night before.

I hired a trainer. This allowed me to offload the mental burden of training and just focus on showing up at the gym. I can’t tell you how much this has helped me, and if you’re in Austin Texas I highly recommend working with Central Athlete.

I said no to a couple of projects. I got real with myself and recognized that in this season of my life, I am only able to focus on two (maybe three) projects at a time. Instead of working on a bunch of things and making a small amount of progress, I focused on wrapping up a few projects and narrowed it down to just two projects I want to move forward with.

The greatest gift was that this trip shed light on my path forward with Adventure Capitalist. And when I came home, I was able to get into gear and I've been working consistently for the last 3 months on it.

I believe Adventure Capitalist is poised to be the next great media company.

How To Plan Your Own Hard Reset:

You don’t need to go to Japan on a mastermind ski trip with me for a reset, but it doesn’t hurt. If you’re interested in planning something for yourself here are the steps I follow.

1. Schedule it. My next 'hard reset' is slated for July 26th, and it's already marked on my calendar. I have blocked from 6 am to 6 pm.

2. Dedicate the entire day to yourself. If you can leave your house early without engaging with anyone – even better. I typically choose a weekday when I would be in the office anyway so it’s not as disruptive to my family. If you can get away for a weekend, even better.

3. Pack your essentials the night before. I fill a backpack with water, snacks, a journal and pen, and extra clothing so I can spend the entire day outside.

4. Begin with an incredibly long walk. Ideally, hike if you have access to trails. Otherwise, choose a new part of the city to explore. Plan on walking as far and as long as you comfortably can go.

Recommendations:

• No music or headphones

• Keep your phone on airplane mode. You can still use your map.

• Avoid technology and reading.

• Carry a journal. When you’re tired, sit down and write. When you’re tired of writing, stand up and walk. Repeat that process.

Writing and Thinking Prompts:

• What is the news of my life?

• If you weren’t afraid, what would you do?

• What do I do so that I’m not uncomfortable? What do I do so that I don’t risk losing something I care about?

• What would allow me to experience greater freedom today?

• What would I want if I knew it would be easy and fun?

• What would I want if I knew no one would get hurt or upset?

• What would I want if I knew no one would think I was being weird?

• What part of my life am I ignoring?

The Weekly Savage

This week’s savage is Simo Häyhä, also known by the Finns as "White Death", and he is the deadliest sniper in the history of war.

Here are five unbelievable things about him:

1. Häyhä served as a sniper for the Finnish Army during the Winter War against the Soviet Union, where he achieved an estimated 505 confirmed sniper kills, a record that stands unrivaled today in any conflict in the history of war.

2. Despite temperatures dropping as low as -40 degrees Celsius, Häyhä dressed in white camouflage and set up position in his snow pit before dawn and remain there until sunset waiting for a shot. He was known to keep snow in his mouth, so as to not have his breath give away his location.

3. Häyhä operated without a scope on his Mosin-Nagant rifle, preferring iron sights to present a smaller target for enemy snipers (since a scope could glint in the sunlight). This became increasingly important as the Russians sent countless counter-snipers his way.

4. On March 6, 1940, Häyhä’s luck ran out and he was shot in the face by a Red Army sniper. Thinking he was dead, he was placed on a pile of bodies until a Finnish soldier noticed his leg twitching. Against all odds Häyhä was alive, but badly injured and unconscious. The bullet had crushed his jaw and blew off part of his left cheek. Häyhä didn’t regain consciousness until a few days later and read a newspaper article that announced his own death. The reports of his death were greatly exaggerated.

5. After the war, Häyhä lived a quiet life as a moose hunter and dog breeder. Despite his ruthless efficiency in war, Häyhä never boasted about his wartime accomplishments. During a 2001 interview, he was asked if he felt remorse over his actions during the war. He replied, “I did what I was told to do, as well as I could. There would be no Finland unless everyone else had done the same.”

The Lifestyle:

🌎 Global Adventure:

The world’s 50 best restaurants of 2023 were announced this week, and you’ll never guess where #1 is located. (Hint: only 2 of the top 50 are in the US) (link)

I didn’t realize how badly I wanted to see the northern lights in a glass igloo until I learned that seeing the northern lights in a glass igloo is a thing (link)

💰Wealth, Business, and Life

Codie Sanchez made a friend who lives in Monaco, is a billionaire, and has an insane life. He ran his business for 61 years. She asked him how he did it all... here's what he told her (link)

Are you a high-agency person? You can find out by asking your friend this simple question (link)

🚁 The Best of the Best

Looking for a delicious bottle of natty wine for the summer? Buy this, chill it, shake it up, and drink it by the pool with some friends (link)

I bought this set of unique adjustable dumbbells last year and have been blown away by how good they are. 10/10 would recommend (link)